LINBIT DRBD vs Synology Photos

LINBIT DRBD is open-source distributed replicated block storage software for Linux, used in high-availability setups. Its kernel driver mirrors writes to one or more peer nodes; in synchronous mode, a write completes only after local and peer storage completion events. Reads can be served locally without network traffic, and the data path avoids user-space components. DRBD combines the kernel driver with user-space management applications and shell scripts, and its command-line interface can manage large clusters without relying on cloud, virtualization, or container platforms. It supports TCP/IP and RDMA/Verbs transports, including InfiniBand, iWARP, and RoCE. The DRBD 9 guide documents TLS encryption for TCP transport. LINBIT also offers WinDRBD for Windows and says its subscriptions integrate with Kubernetes and other major platforms. The open-source community version is free; LINBIT Starter is $1,000 a year, starting from $1,000 for two nodes. The company is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.

Synology Photos is a photo and video management service in DSM for browsing, organizing, searching, sharing, uploading, and previewing media. It requires a Synology NAS for private photo storage, and its mobile app can back up photos and videos to that NAS automatically. Users can share individual items or albums through links with passwords or expiration dates. Shared Space lets selected users collaborate, with access and editing rights assigned by folder. Organization tools include custom and conditional albums, automatic grouping, and facial and object recognition on supported NAS models. RAW files are supported; previews for HEIC/HEVC files and compressed videos require Synology Image Assistant. Mobile apps require iOS 16 or later or Android 11 or later; TV apps support Apple TV and Android TV. Chrome and Safari are recommended for web use. Synology Photos is free, with no paid premium tiers listed.